This is the second page of an article. Read the first page about Basic Website Design.
Flash Intro
One of the first things you will want to do is make a Flash Page Intro. STOP! Don’t do it! It is the fastest way to loose potential customers. Think about the last time you saw one while surfing the internet. I would bet you immediately looked for the “Skip Intro” button. Most people do. Another reason to skip the intro page is because of the SEO aspect of the design. Search Engines hate Flash. They are unable to read it and consider it just a blank page. Do you really want the search engines to think that your most important page is blank?
Color Scheme
Come up with a basic color scheme that has colors that are easy to read. Black one white is still the best, although many use off-white to decrease glare. Feel free to use other colors for borders and artwork, but the text you want read should be B&W. Also keep in mind that people like to print web pages they like. If you used a black background with a white font, it would use TONS of ink, and people will just move onto the next website for there information. (Now some of you might be thinking that you don’t want people just printing your stuff so you will use white text on black, but first ask yourself something, Why not? It will then be a piece of paper in their house that has your website on it. THEY JUST PRINTED YOUR ADVERTISING! How nice of them!)
Fonts
The font should be simple to read on a computer screen. Many people are used to using Times New Roman for the font. This is great for printed material, but Verdana or Georgia are much better for website design and reading on the internet.
Graphics and Graphic Links
Graphics are almost essential for a website on today’s internet; however you should avoid using graphics for your links if possible. If you just have to do it, make sure you also have an alternate section of text links to get around your site. Some people do not have a fast connection to the internet and turn off the graphics while surfing. If they reach your website, but have no way to get around, they will just leave. Also, make sure that you do not steal the pictures you use on your website! The graphics should be as small as possible while still having quality. This will help your website download faster. If you have a lot of pictures, use a thumbnail gallery.
While this in not a complete list, it is the essentials to keep in mind while beginning the Website Design Process. If this all seems too overwhelming, let the professionals at TiMoGo SEO & Design help you out.